Typical motors with round stator laminations work well in many applications. However, some motor applications require significant torque from the motor, yet also require that the motor housing be small enough so as not to interfere with operation of the device incorporating the motor. By way of non-limiting example, a cylindrical mower for cutting grass on a golf course fairway or sports field requires more torque than a cylindrical mower for cutting finer grass on a putting green to achieve a clean cut. However, use of a conventional motor having round stator laminations to rotate a cylindrical blade reel of a fairway or sports field mower about a horizontal axis presents a problem. The conventional motor, which is mounted at an axial end of the blade reel and is situated very close to the ground, has a round bottom that applies some downward pressure to the grass. This tends to lay the grass down, which is cosmetically undesirable on golf courses, sports fields, or other highly-visible areas where such “layover” is considered unattractive.
What is needed is an improved motor design capable of providing sufficient torque within a reduced spatial envelope.